Friday, May 29, 2009

In the past week, have you been experiencing what can only be described as the world's worst headache? And nothing seems to help? Not Ibuprofen, not aspirin, not Oxycontin, not cold compresses? Not anything?

It's not a headache. It's IQD. or, in layman's terms, I.Q. Deficiency: little by little, you're intelligence quotient is being syphoned off. It's caused by the current wave of ridiculous attacks on Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor. So do you want the bad news or the good news first? The bad news: the only absolute cure for IQD is complete and total isolation from the media. That means: no television (esp. no cable!), no radio, no internet, not even outdated media such as a languishing local newspaper. IQD is insidious and can spread quickly. The good news is that it will only last until Sotomayor is sworn in as Justice.

But if we can't cure it, can we at least slow it down? YES: go "cold turkey" on Fox News and anyone who might appear on Fox News. You'll find that a substantial amount of relief is almost immediate. It seems that Fox News is a key contributor to IQD.

O.K., enough of the medical anaolgy. But seriously, the right wingnuts are attacking with the full force of their stupidity. And, by any means possible: the latest (and most baseless) attack on Sotomayor is that she is a "reverse racist" of sorts. They've cherry-picked different phrases from Sotomayor's past (and out of context) and have used them to forge a weapon - sort of like what evangelicals have done with the Bible these many years.

The following quotes are from Fox News, Twitter and the Rush Limbaugh Show courtesy of Pam's House Blend and Crooks and Liars:

“I think Obama has reached out to one of the most left-wing judges that there is in the United States,” Robertson said. “I think it's an outrage.”Robertson cited her views on judicial activism as he criticized her nomination during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday.

Rush Limbaugh went so far as to call Sotomayor a "reverse racist" and a "hack" while decrying moderate Republicans for their even-keeled response to President Obama's court pick.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich took to his Twitter account, echoing Limbaugh's racism claim. "White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw," Gingrich wrote.

TANCREDO: If you belong to an organization called La Raza, in this case, which is, from my point of view anyway, nothing more than a Latino — it’s a counterpart — a Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses. If you belong to something like that in a way that’s going to convince me and a lot of other people that it’s got nothing to do with race. Even though the logo of La Raza is “All for the race. Nothing for the rest.” What does that tell you?

Hannity: [To McCarthy] ... Um, "She can be difficult, temperamental, excitable, she seems angry, she makes inappropriate outbursts, she is nasty to lawyers."

The problem with Fox News is not only the right-wing slant of it all, but fingers must also be pointed at the viewers: remember that a great deal of them voted for George W. Bush - twice. The picture on the left is rather old, but still true: stupidity can be judgedby how much and how long a misconception lasts. Fox know this, of course, and doesn't care. It's low, snarky and underhanded but that's what Fox is aiming for.In the meantime, the swipes get meaner, nastier, more boorish and positively crude.

Your headache's getting worse because your I.Q. is getting sucked out - by FOX and other irresponsible media. Think of the video below as a kind of ultrasound showing you what is bombarding your poor brain cells.

In the meantime, get rest. Cut out right-wing media. Eat sensibly. And call your doctor (or therapist) if the bloviating increases. Don't worry. It'll all be better after Sotomayor's confirmation.